A Trampoli Tale of Tenderness
by Kolbie Ru-Ru
Summary: Danny didn't have many customers after Materia opened next door, and even then, they didn't go out of their way to see him. There was one man, however, who consistently visited, and not even Danny himself suspected an ulterior motive. Hinted Danny/Raguna


**A/N: **I'm having a bit of trouble writing for my main story, so I thought I'd try and type this up and maybe rid myself of all of the 'mental blockage', I guess. Please enjoy. (Is it sad that out of all of the available female companions, I fell in love with_ this _pairing?)

**A Trampoli Tale of Tenderness**

Raguna is a genuinely good person. Ask any of the many fortunate souls indebted to the young man—those that have either witnessed or received his kindness at some point—and they will undoubtedly agree, all grins and giggles and gratefulness.

It was an unspoken rule—agreement, even—that should one come upon a troublesome situation or dilemma, one should immediately contact Raguna, and all of one's problems would be solved as quickly as humanly possible, for there was no limit to that boy's determination to help others.

Yes, the inhabitants of Trampoli knew this quite well, so it was no surprise when said man would disappear for days on end without so much as a word and would reappear just as suddenly, acting as if nothing ever happened at all. He never bothered to explain himself, and the villagers never bothered to ask. News of his adventures would reach their ears eventually, anyway, because the one helped at the time would not hesitate to share, allowing the heroic tale to spread throughout the small town like a wildfire.

The respect the villagers have for their friendly neighbor is paramount, and they can't stop themselves from smiling at the thought of him, if only because his bright demeanor and attitude is highly contagious.

With all of this in mind, it's very easy for the citizens to overlook any odd behavior from Raguna, and for this, he is thankful. Rarely anyone suspected the young man, and the very few that did found themselves shaking their heads in dismissal moments later.

What is this strange behavior I speak of, you ask? Well, let me explain a few things first.

_Danny's Groceries_ was the only grocery store in the entire town of Trampoli, and because of this, Danny took little care tending to his store. The sign titled _Grocery_ on the front of the building was crooked, favoring the left side by a few inches. The floor, which rarely ever saw a broom, was covered in dust, as were the shelves housing mediocre products. The unkempt displays and sparse stock selection were rather off-putting as well. The tiny shop might have seemed endearing, maybe even homey, were it not for the grumpy, less than welcoming shop owner, Danny, himself. All in all, one only found themselves with an unpleasant experience when shopping at Danny's.

Imagine the relief of the denizens when a new grocer's opened right next door. Within only a few days of its grand opening, _Materia_ had taken almost all of _Danny's_ customers, none of them feeling any guilt whatsoever. Of course, who could blame them? _Materia_ was only a little larger than _Danny's_, but that wasn't a major difference. No, the new store was neat, tidy, efficient, carried a wide variety of items, and most importantly, the owner, Rosetta, was a sweet and charming young woman whom took the time to chat (read: gossip) with her customers and took care of their needs.

The switch was not surprising in the least. However, it left poor Danny with little to no proper income and though he would never admit it, feelings of betrayal. The few customers he had left were mostly those close to Danny, such as Erik and Anette, that came in to chat with him (or poke fun, in Erik's case) (or bicker with him, in Anette's case). The others were Marco and Candy, and they only came because they thought Danny was 'funny' when he griped and grumbled at others.

And then, as you've probably guessed by now, there's Raguna. Honestly, how could he turn a blind eye to someone in need, abandon them when they need him most? That's what most people assumed, anyway, when they witnessed the man passing up _Materia_ and heading for _Danny's_ from time to time.

Surely, _this _behavior isn't odd. Of course, such a thing occurring occasionally would not strike anyone as suspicious. However—and this is where it becomes strange—the trips to _Danny's_ weren't just on occasion. No, Raguna leaves his homestead, or wherever he may happen to be, at the same time every day to visit said store and to buy as many bags of turnip seeds as he can afford. Again, this could certainly go unnoticed, not become anything of concern...

That is, if those trips stopped after Spring.

**A/N: **I actually _do_ always buy from Danny's whenever I'm in town (Especially when he either asks me to or when he says he trusts me _not_ to buy from Rosetta). I'm so lame. :/


End file.
